The expectation gap
The surprise grows with age. Among surveyed 18 to 21 year olds, 38.1% said they hadn't expected to be sharing at their current age. For 35 to 39 year olds, that figure rose to 79.9% — nearly four in five.
These numbers describe people who answered Homerun’s survey, not every Australian renter. Respondents were recruited through Flatmate Finders and Homerun, so the results reflect people actively forming or reforming a sharehouse. Even with that limit, the pattern is clear: sharing often lasts longer than people planned.
More than a stopgap
Housing costs are part of the story. In the same survey, 74.6% said higher property prices had extended how long they expected to live in a sharehouse. And 31.2% said they never expected to own a home. A shared home can be a long-term arrangement, not a waiting room for somewhere else.
Yet many houses still run on memory and a group chat. When housemates change, it gets harder to know who paid the last electricity bill, whose name is on the lease, or when the bins need to go out. Those small gaps create work for whoever ends up keeping track.
Make the house work for everyone
Start with a shared record of the basics: rent amounts and due dates, bill splits, chores, lease details and the next house event. Agree on who updates it when someone moves in or out. Everyone should be able to find the answer without asking the same housemate again.
Sharehousing may not be where you expected to be, but the home you have now deserves a system that works. A little clarity makes everyday decisions easier — and leaves more room for the good parts of living together.
Source and methodology: The Sharehouse Generation Report 2026
